Portal:Rhode Island

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

The Rhode Island Portal

Rhode Island (/ˌroʊd-/ ^ⓘ, pronounced "road") is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound; and shares a small maritime border with New York, east of Long Island. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020; but it has grown at every decennial count since 1790 and is the second-most densely populated state, after New Jersey. The state takes its name from the eponymous island, though nearly all its land area is on the mainland. Providence is its capital and most populous city.

Native Americans lived around Narragansett Bay before English settlers began arriving in the early 17th century. Rhode Island was unique among the Thirteen British Colonies in having been founded by a refugee, Roger Williams, who fled religious persecution in the Massachusetts Bay Colony to establish a haven for religious liberty. He founded Providence in 1636 on land purchased from local tribes, creating the first settlement in North America with an explicitly secular government. The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations subsequently became a destination for religious and political dissenters and social outcasts, earning it the moniker "Rogue's Island".

Rhode Island was the first colony to call for a Continental Congress, in 1774, and the first to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown, on May 4, 1776. After the American Revolution, during which it was heavily occupied and contested, Rhode Island became the fourth state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, on February 9, 1778. Because its citizens favored a weaker central government, it boycotted the 1787 convention that had drafted the United States Constitution, which it initially refused to ratify; it finally ratified it on May 29, 1790, the last of the original 13 states to do so.

The state was officially named the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations since the colonial era but came to be commonly known as "Rhode Island". In November 2020, the state's voters approved an amendment to the state constitution formally dropping "and Providence Plantations" from its full name. Its official nickname is the "Ocean State", a reference to its 400 mi (640 km) of coastline and the large bays and inlets that make up about 14% of its area. (Full article...)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Recognized content - show another

Entries here consist of Good and Featured articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

Benjamin Franklin Tilley

Benjamin Franklin Tilley (March 29, 1848 – March 18, 1907) was an American Naval officer who served from the end of the American Civil War through the Spanish–American War. He was the first acting governor of American Samoa as well as the territory's first naval governor.

Tilley entered the United States Naval Academy during the height of the Civil War, graduating after the conflict. He gradually rose through the ranks and participated as a lieutenant in the United States military crackdown against strikers in the wake of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. He and a small contingent of sailors and marines defended the American consulate in Santiago, Chile during the 1891 Chilean Civil War. He was a commander during the Spanish–American War, and his gunship USS Newport successfully captured two Spanish Navy ships. After the war, he was made the first acting-Governor of Tutuila and Manua (later called American Samoa) and set legal and administrative precedents for the new territory. After 41 years of service, he was promoted to rear admiral but died of pneumonia shortly afterwards. (Full article...)

List of recognized articles

Selected article - show another

Lovecraft in 1934

Howard Phillips Lovecraft (US: /ˈlʌvkræft/, UK: /ˈlʌvkrɑːft/; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of weird, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Lovecraft spent most of his life in New England. After his father's institutionalization in 1893, he lived affluently until his family's wealth dissipated after the death of his grandfather. Lovecraft then lived with his mother, in reduced financial security, until her institutionalization in 1919. He began to write essays for the United Amateur Press Association, and in 1913 wrote a critical letter to a pulp magazine that ultimately led to his involvement in pulp fiction. He became active in the speculative fiction community and was published in several pulp magazines. Lovecraft moved to New York City, marrying Sonia Greene in 1924, and later became the center of a wider group of authors known as the "Lovecraft Circle". They introduced him to Weird Tales, which became his most prominent publisher. Lovecraft's time in New York took a toll on his mental state and financial conditions. He returned to Providence in 1926 and produced some of his most popular works, including The Call of Cthulhu, At the Mountains of Madness, The Shadow over Innsmouth, and The Shadow Out of Time. He remained active as a writer for 11 years until his death from intestinal cancer at the age of 46. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know?

... that Northup Avenue Yard in Providence, Rhode Island, was described as "the finest in the New Haven system"?
... that James Diossa rescued the only public library and post office in Central Falls, Rhode Island, when the city went into bankruptcy?
... that a Rhode Island TV station broadcast for 14 months and then was off the air for 26 years before returning?
... that three decades after chasing away surveyors for a previous railroad with guns, residents of Wickford, Rhode Island, built their own railroad?

Quotes related to Rhode Island

One hundred years after the declaration that all men are created equal, there began to gather in Newport a colony of the rich, determined to show that some Americans were conspicuously more equal than others.

— Alistair Cooke

More selected quotes

Related portals

edit

Selected picture

Credit: Wadester16

Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge is a suspension bridge operated by the Rhode Island Turnpike and Bridge Authority that spans the East Passage of the Narragansett Bay, connecting the City of Newport on Aquidneck Island and the Town of Jamestown on Conanicut Island. The bridge is four lanes (two in each direction) and is part of RI 138.

More selected pictures

General images

The following are images from various Rhode Island-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 2Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 3Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 4Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 5The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 6A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 7Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 8The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 9Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 101884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 11The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 12The Towers are a Narragansett landmark. (from Rhode Island)
Image 13Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 14The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 15The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 16The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority operates a statewide system of bus transport. (from Rhode Island)
Image 17The United States Naval Academy was moved to Fort Adams in Newport during the Civil War. (from Rhode Island)
Image 18Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 19University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 20In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 211884 Baseball Champion Providence Grays (from Rhode Island)
Image 22In 1936, on the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp, depicting Roger Williams (from Rhode Island)
Image 23Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 24Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 25The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 26A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 27In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 28County results of the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden (D) won every county. (from Rhode Island)
Image 29In 1636, Roger Williams and his followers founded the settlement of Providence Plantations. (from Rhode Island)
Image 30University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 31University of Rhode Island's Meade Stadium in Kingston (from Rhode Island)
Image 32Rocky shoreline in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 33The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 34Downtown Providence in 2008 (from Rhode Island)
Image 35Köppen climate types of Rhode Island, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from Rhode Island)
Image 36The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 37Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 38Slater Mill in Pawtucket is cited as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in the United States.
Image 39University Hall at Brown University is one of the oldest academic buildings in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 40Ninigret Pond National Wildlife Refuge (from Rhode Island)
Image 41County results of the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden (D) won every county. (from Rhode Island)
Image 42The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 43The Rhode Island State House in Providence boasts the world's fourth largest self-supported marble dome. (from Rhode Island)
Image 44Trustom Pond, a lagoon in South Kingstown (from Rhode Island)
Image 45The East Bay Bike Path in Riverside
Image 46Topographic map of Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 47In 1680, Newport was the third largest Anglo-American city. It remained a prosperous population center until the 1770s. (from Rhode Island)
Image 48The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge (foreground) and Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge (background)
Image 49In 1936, on the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Rhode Island in 1636, the U.S. Post Office issued a commemorative stamp, depicting Roger Williams (from Rhode Island)
Image 50The International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport (from Rhode Island)
Image 51Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 52Rhode Island population density map (from Rhode Island)
Image 53Map of Rhode Island, showing major cities and roads (from Rhode Island)
Image 54Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)
Image 55A nine-pence banknote issued by Rhode Island in 1786 (from Rhode Island)
Image 56Many Rhode Islanders visit Washington County for its beaches (from Rhode Island)
Image 57Ethnic origins in Rhode Island (from Rhode Island)
Image 58The Pawtucket Red Sox played at McCoy Stadium (from Rhode Island)
Image 59Touro Synagogue in Newport is the oldest existing synagogue building in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 60The Block Island Wind Farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. (from Rhode Island)
Image 61Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 62A southbound Northeast Regional train at Kingston Station (from Rhode Island)
Image 63Interior of The Breakers, a Newport symbol of the Gilded Age (from Rhode Island)
Image 64Providence Revolutionaries burned HMS Gaspee in Warwick in protest of British customs laws. (from Rhode Island)

Topics

Selected panorama

Credit: User:Mark12211

Misquamicut State Beach in March 2007

More selected panoramas

Quality content

This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged or categorized (e.g. Category:WikiProject Rhode Island articles) correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.